The Glory of God or our glory?

This is from the Lord. You may forward and share this with anyone you want.

The word of the Lord came to me, "Go back to 1 Samuel as I showed you last spring:

"The Glory has departed." 1 Sam 4:22

"Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, 'If you return to the Lord with all your heart, then PUT AWAY the foreign gods and the ashtoreths from among you, and PREPARE YOUR HEARTS TO SERVE HIM ONLY, and He will deliver you from the hands of the Philistines.' So the children of Israel put away the ba'als and ashtoreths and served the LORD ONLY." 1 Sam 7:3-4"

Questions:

1) Why did the Glory depart?

The Israelites used the Ark of God like a good luck charm, and they tried to control their future with their own reasoning and strength. We also use God. We pray as a last resort, NOT as a FIRST priority. We also rely upon our own intellect, skills, and abilities rather than on God. The Israelites did not TRUST God. Do we? When we get honest with ourselves, do we trust God to be ALL to us?

2) What do the ba'als and ashtoreths represent in our day?

'Ba'al' means 'possessor,' and 'husband,' and was the fertility god of the Canaanites. Ashtoreth was the 'mother of the gods,' and Ba'al's consort. Thus, poles to her were set up near Ba'al's altars. The Israelites were relying upon these detestable idols to 'provide' for them. In our age, this may be likened to the 'gods of productivity and success.' What do we worship? Intellect, reason, knowledge, skills, money - why? We want to be successful, and to be successful, we must be productive. We rely upon our knowledge, skills, abilities, money, programs, and campaigns - in other words - our Selves, not God. Just as the ashtoreths were set up near Ba'al's altars, we establish our own shrines to our Selves - power, prestige, and acclaim. We steal God's Glory and miss His Glory for our own small monuments to our Selves.

We need a passionate and fervent desire to see GOD'S GLORY restored at Bethel. HE IS ALL.

It is all about God's Glory being restored in US. We are the Tabernacles of the Holy Spirit - intersection points between heaven and earth. We are supposed to meet God face-to-face in us and have His likeness - His Glory - restored in us. This is ONLY accomplished by the Holy Spirit. We need to pray His Spirit would be poured out on us for our sanctification - to be made holy, set apart Tabernacles where people see God's Glory and meet Him there. 

We should no longer pray as Moses did, "Please, show me Your Glory," but rather, "Please FILL me WITH Your Glory."

The Glory of God is seen in the Face of Christ Jesus - Christ who died upon the Cross, and Christ who rose triumphantly from the dead.  When we cease to focus on the Cross of Christ and His Resurrection we slide back into a 'works' mentality - into reliance upon our Selves rather than reliance upon God's Grace Alone. We forget the Lord ("And - you have forgotten Me." Ezekiel 22:12). 

The Ministry of Christ and of His Spirit is God's Glory being restored to all the earth. Like Paul, we must preach Christ crucified and risen from the dead - just as on the day of Pentecost. Our value, worth, and identity as His Own Possession - as His People - MUST be found in God's GRACE ALONE, as demonstrated on the Cross: "For God shows His Love for us in this: while we were YET sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)."

I am praying for an outpouring of God's Spirit, that we may be filled with His Glory, all the Fullness of Christ.  "The secret is this: Christ in you, the hope of Glory (Col 1:27).". Holiness is not the absence of sin, it is the manifest Presence of God in a redeemed person's life, filling them with Christ's Glory.

I am praying God's people would fervently desire an outpouring of His Spirit. We - God's people - His Own Possession - are the plan - His plan - for spreading His Glory throughout all the earth.

"Come, Holy Spirit, we invite you to come and revive Your people, filling us with Your Glory, and to come and awaken the dead."